Chiara Amisola, Philippines, 18

Project: Developh

Basic Human Needs: Education

Raised in a poor area of the Philippines, Chiara’s fascination with technology was equal only to her frustration at her nation’s widening technology gap. She recognized technology as a tool with which students could create innovations in all areas of life, even from their own bedrooms. At 16, Chiara founded Developh, an organization for students in her school to exchange knowledge and tackle the issues around them by using technology. Developh has since grown into a global nonprofit that helps to foster and scale the social impact of student startups in over 15 developing nations. They provide students from underserved communities with student-created computer science curriculums, technology workshops, a fellowship program and a global community to support their social impact projects. By introducing youth to technology and equipping them with the skills required to launch social ventures, Chiara hopes they will disrupt the status quo and build solutions to problems that they face in their respective worlds. To date, Developh’s programs have reached 55,000+ students who are tackling a wide range of social issues ranging from mental health to women rights. Many of these students are already gaining recognition in conferences and competitions worldwide. In September 2018, Chiara was honored by The Grace Hopper Celebration (the world’s largest women-in-tech conference) as their youngest ever Student of Vision. Chiara and her team hope to further scale Developh in the global south, promoting tech inclusivity and accessibility in that region. She believes that youth are an essential part of creating society’s most needed innovations.